POSTSCRIPT: In 1930-31, both GHS, St. Mary won district title

March 18, 2002|By Mike Dunn

Earlier this week, we received a yellowed newspaper clipping from longtime Gaylord resident Frank Jasinski that featured the team photos of the 1930-31 Gaylord and St. Mary basketball teams along with a brief article congratulating both squads for winning the district championship. A reproduction of the team photos with the text of the article appears on B4.

Gaylord, with only six players that season, competed in the district tournament at Grayling and went on to play in the regional tournament at Petoskey. The team, coached by Jack Makel, won its regional opener and lost in the finals, but the article does not indicate who Gaylord played in those two games.

St. Mary, which was coached by Stan Amborski, lost in the first game of the regional tournament to another Catholic school, Traverse City St. Francis, which went on to win the regional title.

According to the record book, that was St. Mary's fourth year competing in basketball and the first season under Amborski. The team - I don't know if they were known as the Snowbirds back then - posted an 11-4 mark. The next two seasons, St. Mary went 16-1 and 17-1 and won district titles again in each of those seasons. Amborski left after that, having posted an outstanding 45-6 record in three years.

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GHS administrators often put in long hours

The other night I was working at the newspaper office and realized that I needed to leave a voice mail for GHS basketball coach Gary Scott. It was 10:45 p.m.

I phoned the high school, expecting to get a recording that would direct me to punch in coach Scott's extension. Instead, much to my surprise, I heard the voice of GHS assistant principal Sid Dawson at the other end of the line.

When I asked Mrs. Dawson what she doing at the office so late, she told that this was the best time for getting work done without distractions.

Most high-school administrators that I've dealt with over the years are that way. They are very duty conscious and do a great deal of work behind the scenes that most people are not aware of.